Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Outsiders.

(Language, for warning)


Keep Moving

Can't Take the Family Out of The Girl

My body shivered against Darry's as we sat there in the empty waiting room. We had just finished filling out some paper work for the doctor, most of which Darry filled out. When I shivered, he looked at me a little concerned with a frown. Shaking my head, I leaned my head back against the wall. I stared straight ahead while Darry looked at me.

"I sure hope we figure out what's wrong with you, Luc." he said in a low voice.

"Me too." I agreed, even quieter than he did. Darry took my hand and squeezed it tightly. Whenever he is nervous he always bobs his knee up and down. Then if it's something that is really nagging at his brain, he'll try to talk about it. But me, when I'm nervous I don't like to talk about it. I wish Soda was here to talk to him , because I don't want to talk. When Soda is nervous, he just talks nonstop, they were made for each other.

"So, are you feeling okay?" question number one.

"Not really."

"What's wrong?" two.

"Don't know."

"Do you think…"

"Lucy Curtis, right this way." a nurse yelled out to me at a door on the other side of the room. She saved me from Darry's nonstop questions, I sighed at the thought. He looked at me sincerely.

"Do you want me to wait out here?" furiously I shook my head no and tugged at his arm. I needed him with me, it's been too long that I've been alone! Why would I want to be alone again?

"Okay." he smiled getting up. We walked through the door that the women was holding open. We followed her to the end of a hall as she placed us in an empty room. She told me to sit on the table, so Darry lifted me on there. Darry sat in a chair next to the examination table. The women sat on a wheelie stool, checking out Darry as she wrote down a few things. Rolling my eyes I waited for her to say something. Finally, she took my temperature. Frowning, she said my temperature out loud.

"One hundred in two, quite a fever Miss. Curtis." I looked over at Darry, who frowned with her. The women went over to write down her findings and returned with a blood pressure cuff. She wrapped it around my arm tightly, almost making me flinch.

"I'm Liz Brown, by the way." she said in a friendly way. "How are we today?"

I hate it when doctors of nurses ask you that, if we were okay then we wouldn't be seeing you. "Fine." I muttered absently.

She started pumping air into the cuff. After it was full, she slowly let the air out. Looking at her watch, she lipped the numbers to herself. Frowning again, she told us my blood pressure out loud. "Ninety-three over sixty-two."

"Is that bad?" Darry asked.

"It's pretty low." Liz mumbled waving me over to the scale. I'm not sure why she didn't just do that when we entered the room. When I tried to get up, I fell forward onto the floor. My hands and face made a nasty smack noise, that would make any man cringe. I wasn't down there long enough to really feel the impact of the floor because Darry pulled me up. His hand cupped around my scrawny arms easily.

"Are you alright?" he asked me quickly and nervously. I chuckled, embarrassed of myself.

"Yeah." I shrugged Brother off me, walking over to Brown. She frowned at me some more. It was making me feel worse, seeing everyone frown at me. I know I'm a skinny, dead like bitch! Don't remind me of it all the time.

"Step on the scale please." Liz moved the little tab things around. Then she placed a thing to the top of my head. It was the moment of truth, now I will truly know what my weight is.

"Five foot three and…" her frown deepen at the sight off the God awful numbers. "ninety-one."

"I thought it would be worse." I whispered to myself in disappointment that it was even that low. Getting off the scale I stumbled back over to the table, where Darry lifted me up to again.

"I'm going to take some blood. After than I need a urine sample." I HATE giving urine samples. When I was little I would get bladder infections all the time, so they would make me pee in a cup. Usually Mom would come with me to help, but finally enough was enough. I told her that I wanted to be a big girl and do it by myself. The first time I went alone, I peed all over myself. That day I went home in a examination gown. Mom never told the boys why I had come home without the clothes I left with, so I avoided most teasing.

Liz stuck my thin arm with a needle, only to pull back up and try again. Then again and again. Finally, after sticking me five times, she got my vain. Blood poured out into the tube. After it was mostly filled, she stuck two more into the needle thingy. I'm not sure what it's called, but she got three things full of blood by the end of it. I felt really dizzy afterwards, but that was normal I suppose. Then, Liz handed me the cup I was to pee in. She pointed down the hall.

"Bathroom is right over there. Put it in the cubby when your done."

As Darry stood up to help me down, he made a disgusted face at him. He chuckled slightly as I slowly walked out of the room. Once in the bathroom, I did my thing, and sighed. This was so stressful. It's like I'm a test subject, I just want to sleep. Putting the pee in the cubby, I then washed my hands. When I was done with the entire thing, I started back towards the room. The door was only slightly open, but I could hear hushed voices inside.

When I moved to the left part of the hallway, I could see who was inside. Darry was leaning over the counter, talking to the young nurse. He had his game face on, his flirting face. She leaned close to him, talking to him through her eyelashes. Putting her hand on his arm, as he whispered to her. Thank God I wasn't alert enough to hear what he was saying. I love Brother, and I'll admit that he needs to get out more. Find himself a couple of birds or something, but not at my doctor appointment. It was annoying and awkward when I stumbled in there. Darry stood up to fast and hit his head on the cabinets above him. He started to walk over to me, wincing, to help me up but I had beaten him to it. This time I laid down, shivering slightly as I did so.

"Doctor Sanders will be in to see you shortly." Liz coughed out as she left the room, closing the door behind her. It was quiet in the room, but I could hear every single move Darry made. Finally, I felt a hand on my arm.

"You okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I told him firmly. Right now I wasn't exactly in the talking mood. My body was bothering me. My life was bothering me. I'm embarrassed to even think about my weak condition. How could I let myself get this bad. His hand was taken off my arm.

"Why not?" he sounded disappointed.

"Because I'll start to cry."

"It's okay to cry, Lucy." coming from the guy who never cries.

"Maybe for others but not for me." I turned over to look at him for a second. "Do you know how it feels to be at the prime of your game? To be so top notch and healthy. That nothing can touch you because you are so damn strong." he thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Do you know how it feels to watch yourself slowly become what you've always thrived never be?" he shook his head no.

"Well, I do." I turned over again to face the wall.

"What would that be?"

"Weak." I whispered.

"It's okay to be weak sometimes, Lucy. It's okay to ask for help."

"Brother, it's not the way I am. You should understand more than anyone, it's just not in my nature to ask for help. I hate doing it. I hate that I have to do it for the time being."

"I know but you deserve the help, Luc. And you deserve the time to heal as well. Don't think you're as hard as a rock, because even though you want to seem that way you never really are. No one is as hard as steel, not even Dallas." I knew that. Dallas puts up that wall, that emotional barrier. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have those feelings.

"Can we be done talking about this." It was more of a statement then a question. Brother fell silent after sitting back down in his chair. Time ticked by. My fatigue was heavy, so I let myself be taken by sleep. I curled up in Soda's old coat and slept. My eyes were closed, my body was shut down but I could hear everything still. Not completely everything but the small things. Like the sound of my breathing. The air conditioning kicking on in the room and shutting off as well. Darry's squeaking shoe on the floor as he would pace or tap his leg. Eventually, I couldn't hear the small noises anymore and was fully in slumber.

I'm not sure how long I could have been asleep but I was being shaken awake. "Luc, the doctor is here." Darry said in a hushed voice next to my ear.

Groaning out loud to myself, I turned over to look at him. I started to sit up but he waved me to lay back down. Closing my eyes for a second, I looked up to see the big nosed man in my face. He stood over me with a smile and a small wave. I waved back slowly as he pressed his hand to my stomach. Humming to himself.

"I'm Doctor George Sanders, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure." I mumbled as he poked and probed my laying form. He took out his stethoscope, telling me to sit up. Very slowly I sat up, refusing help from him or Darry by smacking his hand away. It might have been a rude thing to do to Dar, but I was tired of being helpless.

Doc placed the ear plugs, or whatever, into his ears. Lightly pressing it onto my back, telling me to breath in deeply. After breathing deeply a few times, he moved to listen to my heart. In a doctor like way, he pressed the instrument against my left breast. Then he moved the middle of my chest, humming to himself again. Pulling back he sat down on the stool, allowing me to lay down again.

"Sorry the wait was so long, but I was waiting for your blood and urine tests to be done." his nasally voice bugged the shit out of me. "I also had a chat with Judge Carlson and Miss. Ruth Walters. They told me a little about your situation. How you were alone on the road for…umm…?"

This guy is so quirky and odd, he didn't even know his facts. Out of annoyance, I continued for him. "Exactly ninety-seven days alone, sir. Three and a half days on the road with a companion." he looked at me with amused eyes.

"Well, that is umm impressive for a girl of your age and stature." I frowned at him.

"Sir, in all good respect, I was in a lot better shape five months ago."

"Like what, Miss….." he looked at the clipboard in his arms. "Curtis?"

"I was thirty seven pounds heavier, well fed and was very strong." I said proudly, more to myself than to him or Darry. This is the most I've talked in a while, I think I felt the need to defend myself. I'm not sure why, because there was no reason to feel defensive. Maybe I just wanted to prove that I once was at my prime.

"I'm sure you were and that's our issue. You've lost a great deal of weight in the last five months and at a very unhealthy rate. The lack of nutrition has made you greatly dehydrated. It says here that you….umm…vomit every time you eat. You have heat waves and sweat. Also that you are shaking eighty percent of the time. Have also been suffering from a large amount of fatigue and sleepless nights." he read the list of some of my issues from the clipboard.

"I'd like to take your temperature once more, just to make sure." he said after eyeing the paperwork with a crooked expression. He brought the thermometer over to me and shoved the cold utensil into my mouth. After a minute or so he roughly pulled it out of my mouth. If I wasn't so tired, I would of told him to watch himself.

"The thermometer doesn't lie, one hundred in three." he wrote down the new measurement and looked at me again.

"That's…umm….dangerously high. Your blood pressure is very low for a young lady, but is good considering you weight. I would of expected it to be a lot worse." looking at Darry, he explained some things. Occasionally glancing at me as he did so.

"Her blood test show beginning signs of kidney failure, which is…umm….an issue. The constant fever, vomiting, and sweating: which causes loss of body fluids, can begin the possess of direct damage to the kidney." I sat up slightly at the mention of my unhealthy organs. Darry stood up, taking my hand in his.

"Kidneys are very complex organs, even if their function is simple. It's a good thing we caught this before they began to fail, it could be fatal." Darry's hand squeezed tighter on mine.

"Once we start to get you more hydrated and rested, your kidneys should go back to normal function. If not, then we have a serious problem on our hands. I've already called the hospital to register you in for the next few days. We will constantly have you on IV so you can hydrate and….umm…recover swell. Between those days we hope to get your stomach back in shape. Hopefully those days of vomiting every time you eat will be long gone. Miss. Walters will also be there everyday to talk to you about things. I have a strong belief that your body reacts to your emotions, so not all of this is physical."

This man had a lot to say. I listened to every word, constantly cringing at his words. The hospital was the last place I wanted to be. It means that besides Miss. Ruth, I will be alone most of the time. Plus, I can't call one of the guys to hang either. Darry seems to be keeping my presence a secret as long as possible, which wont be long as long as Sodapop knows. He couldn't keep an exciting secret like this to save his life. But I don't know if I want the guys to know yet either. All I know is that I hate hospitals, they hate me and I don't want to be there for a few days. I don't even want to be there for a few minutes. My small arms snaked around Darry's strong arm, I cradled it pulling it closer to me. Darry looked down at me as I stared with a grimace at Doc.

"Sir, is there anyway that I can just go home with my brother? I've been away from my home and my family for long enough, don't you think? I'm not very keen on staying at a hospital for a few days." with Darry's other hand, he put over my arm that was wrapped around his.

"Miss. Curtis, I understand where you are coming from. If I was you I would want to sleep in my own bed than a hospital bed but it's just not possible. You're kidney could go into failure at any moment. Before you can go home, we need to regenerate your metabolism and get your kidneys working properly. It's just not reasonable at this point in time." I nodded slightly.

"Are you sure?" he nodded fully.

"Would you like your brother to bring you over there…umm…to Tulsa's Community Hospital? Or will an ambulance be required?" I leaned my cheek on Darry's arm.

"Okay, I'll call to tell them you will be arriving soon." he told us taking Darry's hand. "It was nice to meet you Mr. Curtis." Doc shook my hand. "Miss. Curtis."

The quirky little guy walked out of the room. Sliding off the table, I held onto Darry. Walking down the hall, I leaned on Darry more than I had all day. A tear escaped my eyes but I hide it from Dar. I've cried too many times in the last….FOREVER! We made it to the elevators and went down to ground level. Dar took a glance at me.

"Don't worry Luc, you'll be home with us in no time."

"Dar…I." 'I don't know what to do anymore. I'm lost and afraid. I want Mom and Dad. Please don't make me go to the hospital. Yep, I know I'm childish for making such a big deal out of nothing but…I can't help it. I need you with me Brother. Please, don't leave me alone.'

"Yeah?"

"Never mind." we exited the elevator to walk to the parking lot. The two of us were pretty slow, on account of me. Usually we would have been out of here, on our way already. Once we got in the car, it was a dreadful silence. Darry was in deep though, I knew he was because he was making his thinker face. His eyebrows slightly raised. Brother's lips were slightly pursed as he bit the inside of his cheek. Also he would sigh often, trying to clear his mind. Dad was the same way, I smiled at my brother's familiar face. Suddenly, he looked over at me. Then back at the road, then back at me with a smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Just….you looked a lot like Dad just then." I told him slumping in the seat, finally letting go of his warm arm.

"Really? Pony always mentions how much I look and sound like Dad, but don't act like him." I nodded.

"It's true, you acted more like Mom and me. Soda and Dad acted alike. Pony was a mixture of everyone. He has that silence that Mom had but that dreamy like quality like Dad."

"Yeah, I think your right." Darry thought off for a moment."You know Darry, you should lay off on the kid sometimes. He's just a boy and he needs to learn from his mistakes. I know you're just trying to help him and protect him but you're going about it all wrong." Darry snapped his head at me and spat in my face.

"You haven't been around for five months, what do you know?" turning back to the road, he snarled. His hands gripped the wheel with frustration as he glared his eyes towards the road. It was then that I notice how more warn Darry looked. Not just his strong body, but his face. It looked slightly older than before. It was colder too, almost like stone. Guilt flushed through me, feeling it was partially my fault. If I wasn't gone those long month, he would have had that much stress. But then there is also the fact that our parents are dead. If work and school were the only things he had to worry about besides us than it wouldn't be so stressful. I vow to myself, once I'm feeling better, I will get a job. If I'm not going to be in school, I will help out at home.

Looking away from Brother, I looked out the window. As much as I hate to admit it, I miss school a little bit. It was something to do, now I'll be stuck at the hospital or at home. And the guys were at school, well most of them. Dallas was, God only knows where now. I just hope he is staying out of trouble for once. Also, I hope to see the guys soon. Even if I'm not sure if I'm ready to see them, I want to see them. It's up to Darry I guess.

"Sorry for snapping at you." Darry's voice popped me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I barley heard what he said because I was in my own little world.

"Sorry about yelling at you." he repeated.

"Oh." I looked over at him. "It's fine, Brother."

"I shouldn't have gotten in your face like that, you were just trying to help.""It's true though." he looked over at me. "I don't have room to speak. It may not really be my business either but…" I trailed off, truly forgetting what I was saying. I was too busy watching Brother's face. It was so cold one moment and was soft but strong the next. Soft and strong like Dad's.

"It is your business, I just don't do good with criticism. I suppose I should take some of your advice, it would help. Lucy, I have no idea what I'm doing here. The only thing I know I'm doing right is paying the bills and feeding you guys. Other than that, I'm drawing a blank." I didn't respond, because he continued after a moment.

"I'm glad your with us again, because I know you're more caring than me. I'm too rough for them, especially Pony because he's the youngest." I nodded. "But you know how to handle him, Soda does too. What am I doing wrong?" Darry was getting frustrated with himself.

"Nothing. You and Pony are so different, you clash. No matter how much you try to understand the kid, you can't because you're opposites. COMPLETE opposites. Give it time Brother, it's what we all need."

"Same old Lucy, giving me advice about my problems and helping me with my issues. You can take the girl out of the family but you can't take the family out of the girl, eh?"

"Yeah, I'm just glad to be back. Even if I have to be in a hospital." frowning I became quieter again.

"You don't know how much I've miss you, baby girl."

"I beg to differ." I said with a small giggle. We went silent after our small laughter, thinking silently to ourselves. It was a comfortable silence, at least until we arrived at the hospital.